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This Minimum Standards for Residential Child Care Facilities is the result of a participatory and consultative process with many of the people involved in alternative care in Namibia, including the children and young people themselves. It is a step forward that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare has undertaken for the care and protection of orphans and vulnerable children in Namibia.
Several consultative workshops were held between July and November 2008 with social workers and policy makers from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, relevant persons…
This report prepared for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare (MGECW) with financial support from UNICEF Namibia assesses the country’s capacity to manage alternative care systems for children. As requested, the assessment concentrated on existing residential care facilities and standards. It was guided in part by the draft UN Guidelines for the Appropriate Use and Conditions of Alternative Care for Children.
Residential care provides a good entry point for assessing the systems of social protection that support the ideal situation of children living with their families in…
International agencies are increasingly recognizing the role of religious organizations in establishing effective HIV/AIDS interventions. Despite some negative perceptions of their role and impact, faith-based organizations (FBOs) are among the most viable institutions at both local and national levels and have developed experience in addressing the multidimensional impact of AIDS and its particular impact on children.
Religious organizations are prevalent throughout Africa. In the six countries chosen for this Study, the number of local congregations is estimated to be in excess of 150,…
As the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to be experienced most severely in Southern Africa, 14% of children are now orphans and 48% of these children have been orphaned due to AIDS. These children are often uninformed about their rights and have difficulty accessing the support to which they are entitled, particularly if they do not have the support of a parent or caregiver. This report reviews legal and policy frameworks to protect the rights of vulnerable children, particularly those affected or infected by HIV/AIDS in 10 Southern African countries. The countries included are:…
The devastating consequences of HIV/AIDS on African societies, and its particular impact on children, is requiring every organisation involved in fighting the epidemic to find new strategies to address adequately both the scale of the problem and its duration. The crisis of children left behind by AIDS is a humanitarian, development and human rights challenge of unprecedented proportions.
Although there have been substantial gains in improving overall child survival, these gains are being eroded in African countries hardest hit by the epidemic. The scale of the epidemic on this…
We examine the impact of orphanhood on children’s school enrollment in 10 Sub-Saharan African countries. Although poorer children in Africa are less likely to attend school, the lower enrollment of orphans is not accounted for solely by their poverty. We find orphans are less likely to be enrolled than are non-orphans with whom they live. Consistent with Hamilton’s Rule, the theory that the closeness of biological ties governs altruistic behavior, outcomes for orphans depend on the relatedness of orphans to their household heads. The lower enrollment of orphans is largely explained caregivers…
Minister of gender equality, poverty eradication and social welfare Doreen Sioka yesterday took a stand against harmful cultural practices, including early and arranged marriages for children. She said those taking part in harmful cultural practices to the detriment of Namibian children will be prosecuted.
Sioka was speaking at Okondaunwe at Opuwo at the commemoration of the Day of the Namibian Child.
She said men who enter into marriages with children will also be prosecuted.
REPSSI is hosting its 5th biannual Psychosocial Support (PSS) Forum, under the theme “Breaking Barriers…Creating Connections” which is organised jointly by the Government of Namibia. The Forum will take place from the 27th to the 29th of August 2019 in Windhoek, Namibia.
The biannual PSS Forum brings together youth, practitioners, researchers, academics, policy makers, international cooperating partners and the media. The 2019 forum objectives include:
- Sharing experiences and identifying strategies for psychosocial support as an enabler of the Sustainable…
Case management is essential in prevention of HIV and support to children and families living with and affected by HIV, and includes a focus on how to increase linkages with HIV services and to ensure social workers can support the complex cases of children affected by HIV. HIV-sensitive case management can:
- Ensure that children who are in need of protective services are rapidly referred to HIV prevention and support services and that their HIV needs are followed up;
- Improve the chances for children and parents/guardians/caregivers/families who are isolated from…
UNICEF is seeking a Chief of Child Protection in Namibia. The Chief, Child Protection and Social Protection is responsible for managing and supervising all stages of Child Protection and Social Protection programs/projects of UNICEF Namibia; from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of concrete and sustainable contributions to national and international efforts; to (a) create a protective environment for children against all harm and to protect their rights to survival, development and well being as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international…